superhawk996

An open thermostat like Zero supposedly had won't cause boiling. If it's completely stuck at a small opening then it might not flow enough at high RPM/load to cool and cause overheating. A thermostat doesn't fully open at its rated temperature, that's where it starts to open and won't fully open 'till it gets hotter. A lower temp thermostat will lower the operating temp IF there's enough heat exchange happening at the radiator; enough air flow and enough coolant flow. I don't think the bird's hot tempered nature is due to the thermostat limiting coolant flow, it seems to be because of limited air flow through the radiator, and the 'problem' isn't limited to the bird. Mine will run cooler at highway speed than street speed even tho there's more heat being created, this tells me it's probably an airflow issue. If your bike is running 204 all the time something's wrong, if it's only doing that at relatively low speeds or when hot-rodding it's pretty normal. Mine occasionally went over 220 on hot days stuck in traffic, highway cruising it would do 180ish. I don't think there's any way to make a thermostat fully open right at or near the rated temp, and you wouldn't want it to. If it did the temp would constantly be jumping up & down any time there was enough flow through the radiator to dissipate the heat.

33.5 MPG around town doesn't seem like something to worry about.

I rarely see a FPR failure other than leaking into the vacuum hose. You can check this by just pulling the hose off and turning the key on to create pressure. On occasion they'll only leak when hot so if you see nothing cold try it after a ride. When the one on my '01 failed it started out not obvious, just a little bit stumbly here & there and some slow starts, eventually it started running like shit as the FPR got worse.

More expensive than I expected for a HF tool, but they don't look nearly as cheesy as most of their tools.

Beware that some models of Power Commander only work on certain years, from what I've read. I never noticed a flat spot, maybe it's the different air or the way we ride & what we notice.

I'd avoid using the MAP vacuum source, that could fuck with what the sensor sees.

There are two common red locktites, one being heat resistant. Once heated above the magic temperature they do let loose. The biggest issue I see with using heat here is potentially damaging fork/caliper parts, aluminum will quickly transfer the heat from where you want it to where you don't. Using a really hot torch like oxy/acetylene might let you heat the spot quickly enough to get it into the threads. I've never used any of those advertised bolt removers. I've often been able to hammer on a smaller wrench/socket to get a better grip, might be worth a try.

So jokes aside. I had a VW powered sandrail that burned a lot of oil and had low compression. The timing was super retarded for multiple reasons and I speculated that the rings were carbon crusted and stuck so I went for a hail marry cure and dumped mineral spirits down the carb to flush it out. Flooded it out a few times then blew it out and it was cured.

My forklift burns oil about 20:1, maybe worse. I should try the Pinesol so the neighbors think I'm cleaning instead of being reminded that they live next to a redneck.

Eurocar fans love everything from liqui-moly. No clue if it's actually any better than American snake oils. If any Eurocar maker endorses them I'd be more inclined to think they're good. I wonder if European gearheads look to American additives for their American cars.

Interesting. Mid 80's I was at a friend's house and her dad was doing valve cover gaskets on his early/mid 70's chevy pickup with a 350. He was a hard core Pennzoil guy and the top end was a black sludgefest. He liked Pennzoil because it stayed clean, any time he tried something else it turned dark right away. He wouldn't accept that maybe the other brand was removing some of the crust being left behind from his beloved Pennzoil.

As much as I'm generally opposed to additives today, I used one in my '73 Mustang way back and lifter noise at start-up went away, I think it was Slick50. There was an early minivan, I think Mazda MPV, that was known for lifter noise. A buddy used an additive, pretty sure it was Slick50, and it would keep it quiet. In those cases, especially the MPV, there was no way to mistake the effect, the additive was definitely the one keeping them quiet. How it did it I don't know.

So he can't just post another reply on the same thread with the new photos?

Dude, why do you keep starting new threads about the same bike?!?

I didn't consider trying to cure a problem when I wrote that, I have used additives to try to cure problems as well as flush additives. OMG's experience may have been due to the additive or the long drive.

That's in the Ducati forum where most bikes have dry clutches, in that case no oil can hurt the clutch. I didn't read the whole thing so maybe they specifically address wet clutches. Also beware that what might work fine with one clutch might not with another, whether by design or usage.

I would be greatly impressed by that. Did you witness the before/after or hear about it?

You should enjoy the ones already in the oil.

The one armed bandit, it's been selling snake oil for decades. Dandruff shampoo also passes that test, and it might be a good engine cleaner. And the engine won't get dandruff. There's lots of stuff that will pass that test that don't belong in an engine. That machine is going to shine when there's a strong EP lubricant present, something that most engines don't need. In simple terms, EP lubes act as a backup lubricant, if the oil film fails to keep two parts from rubbing, the EP steps in. The EP lube is basically floating along with the oil doing nothing until high heat 'activates' it. This used to be handled by zinc, today it's mostly handled by other stuff. There are supporting additives that must be used with zinc and a different set for the alternatives. Those supporting additives don't get along with eachother nor with the wrong EP additive. While throwing some zinc into the oil will definitely improve it's EP qualities, it can also cause a breakdown of the whole package. Some EP lubes that are 'proven' by the one armed bandit can be highly corrosive. There are additives that can improve an oil's performance, they can also make it worse. Some additives can 'fight' with the additive package already in the oil. I'm pretty sure there's a great oil for every engine out there so trying to play home chemist doesn't seem to make sense to me, unless you really know your shit. I've seen tests where additives clearly reduced an oil's performance. There might have been a time when additives made sense, especially before these additives existed, today I don't think there's a good reason to fuck with the oil. I'm not a lube specialist/engineer, much of the above is what I've gathered from reading what they've written. I've yet to find any engineer or oil maker/distributor that recommends an additive. The only thing I've heard from them on the subject is to not put anything in their oil. I've read testimonials from oil and fuel additive users that are incredible, and some are clearly full of bullshit.

Trying to understand because your post was confusing. The condensation is on the AC vent and your assumption is that humid air is coming into the bathroom through the exhaust fan/heater/light unit? If the condensation is only during/after a shower it's not the fan, if it happens all the time or randomly and not related to shower use then it could be the fan unit letting air in.

You think I was dumb enough to disclose such a flaw? I can't remember if it still had any kind of strap, but probably not. Actually, I paid no attention to the underseat area before taking it to him, evidenced by the Cornwell 10mm deep socket he recently found in there. That socket had probably lived there since Carlos came out to get his China bike, I installed a new battery while he was here.

I was using an o-ring too, it was already old when I found it and I think it broke. That's why I had to get rid of that pile o crap bike.

I had no idea. I never detected a problem with the mirrors and don't think I ever had them off to see that.

Shortly after buying that Bird I bought a box of used XX hardware on ebay and thought I'd replaced all the missing and incorrect bolts. I might have it and didn't notice, or didn't have it and that's why it's still missing. I replaced the couple missing plastic pins that came with the box of stuff, but only had a few.

I'm guessing that drinking lead to needing a mirror stem. Maybe it didn't, but that's the excuse I'd use. That's the excuse I used when I forgot to fold the mirror and scuffed it on the doorway into the house.